Matchmaker (Empire High Book 4)

by Ivy Smoak

  Kennedy’s eyes locked with mine as she put the shots down on the coffee table. I was wondering what she and Tanner had been talking about in the kitchen. But it couldn’t be bad, because she looked really happy. I found my gaze wandering to her lips.

  She sat down next to me, closer than before. “What?” she whispered.

  “Nothing.”

  She shook her head with a smile. “Anyone want another drink?” Kennedy asked. “Tanner tried to convince me to play spin the bottle, but I had to explain the rules to him. Because he didn’t seem to realize that when there’s only one girl it’ll end up being some boy-on-boy action.”

  Tanner laughed. “I’ve never played before.”

  “It’s okay,” Kennedy said. “I never played before either. I was super lame in high school too.”

  “Right,” agreed Tanner. “That’s exactly why I don’t know what it was like. I was just super lame.” He laughed like the idea of him being lame at any point in his life was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.

  I had no idea what he was up to, but hopefully whatever he said to her in private would help. And I knew he’d only mentioned spin the bottle so I could make out with Kennedy. Or maybe he really was just misinformed. He didn’t go to school in the states. Who knew what they did in…Greece? I vaguely remember him saying he’d been in Greece for high school. Or was it Germany?

  “But I can’t imagine you being lame,” Tanner said. “Matt pretends he was cool in high school and he told me the two of you were friends.”

  “Matt was cool,” Kennedy said. “And he only hung out with me out of obligation.”

  “That’s not true.” I lightly touched her back and she didn’t push me away. “I always thought you were cool, Kennedy.”

  She laughed. “No way. You were just being nice because I didn’t have any other friends my junior and senior years. You just didn’t want me to have to sit alone at lunch.” She patted my leg and let her hand linger.

  That wasn’t true. I’d gotten used to eating lunch with her and Brooklyn. And I just…didn’t want to stop. But before I could correct her, James and Rob came back over.

  Kennedy removed her hand from my thigh but didn’t seem to care that my hand was on her back.

  “Sounds like girls’ night is ending early,” James said. “Penny will be home any minute. So you guys better…down those shots?” he said looking at the coffee table. “Since when were we doing shots?”

  “They’re actually only for Matt,” Mason said.

  “No way. Which one of them is sick?” I asked.

  Rob laughed. “How did you know that? Liam and RJ are both fussy. Daphne thinks their tummies are upset.”

  “Boom,” I said. “Drink up.” I pointed to Mason.

  “Fuck.” Mason shook his head, but started downing shot after shot.

  “What the heck did we miss?” James asked.

  “Mason bet me that your wives were calling because Liam pulled Sophie’s hair again.”

  Mason cringed on the fourth shot but kept going.

  “And I bet it was because one of them had a tummy ache. I won.”

  Mason slammed the last glass down on the coffee table. “Bee’s going to be so pissed that I’m coming home this drunk. Well, not this drunk. Drunk as in drunk me 15 minutes from now.” He coughed. “I’m pretty sure that tequila is in my veins.”

  Kennedy laughed. “In my defense, I thought we were each going to take a shot. I didn’t know you guys were making a bet.”

  The front door opened. “Daddy!” Scarlett called from the hallway. “Liam’s doing the burping thing!”

  James laughed. “Excuse me for a sec. Liam has the cutest burps.”

  “Gross,” I said.

  James lightly slapped the back of my head as he made his way past me. After a few seconds, Scarlett came running into the room. Heading right for me.

  “Uncle Matt, Uncle Matt!” She ran into the great room and climbed up onto my lap. “I got to eat chocolate cake tonight! A whole piece all on my own. This big.” She showed me with her hands how big the ginormous slice of cake she’d eaten was. She seemed…very hyped up on sugar. “You should’ve seen it.” She turned to look at Kennedy and then ducked under my arm to hide from her. “Who is she?”

  Kennedy smiled. “I’m a friend of your uncle’s.”

  “Which one?” Scarlett asked from her hiding spot.

  “Matt. Well, all of them, actually.”

  “It’s okay, kiddo,” I said and ruffled her hair. “Kennedy’s really nice. How about you come say hi to her.”

  Scarlett shook her head.

  “For me? Please?”

  Scarlett peered out. “So you’re my aunt?”

  “Oh.” Kennedy laughed. “No.”

  “But all my other uncles are married. So that means you’re dating Uncle Matt. Which means you’re my aunt. It’s nice to meet you.” She sat back down on my lap, her fear of Kennedy completely gone.

  “Your uncle and I are just friends.”

  “No.”

  Kennedy laughed. “Yes we are.”

  “No, boys and girls can’t be just friends. That’s what Axel says.”

  “And who is Axel?” Kennedy asked.

  “My boyfriend.”

  “You have a boyfriend?”

  “Yes. And we’re going to have ten babies because he doesn’t care that I like playing with dolls. And he’s going to be on the TV with the football.”

  Kennedy smiled. “It sounds like you have it all figured out.”

  Scarlett nodded. “You too.” She grabbed my hand and Kennedy’s and put them together. “You can have ten babies too if you want. It’s okay.”

  Kennedy and I looked at each other.

  I knew Scarlett had no idea what was going on outside the world of her dolls and Axel. But to me, this felt like her blessing. Like maybe she was telling me I should take a chance on being happy. That maybe it was worth the risk.

  “Pumpkin, it’s time for bed,” James said and lifted Scarlett upside down.

  Kennedy pulled her hand out of mine. I didn’t want to be put in the friend zone. And I didn’t want to wait around being Poppy’s puppet. I’d been waiting my whole life. Just letting it pass by in one big blur. Scarlett wanted me to be happy. And James would understand. Hell, he’d already said he understood. I’d find another way to ensure that Scarlett was safe. But I couldn’t put my life on pause again. Not when I’d finally figured out how to start living again.

  Scarlett laughed. “Daddy, I had the biggest piece of cake.”

  “I can tell,” James said as he righted her in his arms and peppered her face with kisses.

  She squealed.

  I grabbed Kennedy’s hand and pulled her off the couch.

  “What are you…” her voice trailed off as I brought her into the kitchen.

  “I’m done,” I said when we were alone.

  Kennedy shook her head. “Done what?”

  “I’m not going to make the same mistakes I did before. I’m not going to keep how I feel about you a secret. I would never do that to you, Kennedy. You deserve more than that. So much more.”

  “Matt…”

  “I’m telling Poppy I’m pulling out of our deal.”

  Kennedy took a deep breath. “I can’t let you do that.”

  I stared down at her.

  “Maybe if you had said this downstairs earlier, I would have agreed. But I just met that cute little girl. Scarlett’s adorable. And the way she ran right over to you?” She shook her head. “I can’t let you risk Poppy hurting her. I can’t.”

  “I’ve already made up my mind. I’ll find another way to keep Scarlett safe.”

  “You’re a great uncle. And I’m not going to get in the way of that.” She grabbed both my hands. “And I hope you do find another way to keep her safe.”

  “I will. And in the meantime we can…”

  “No. In the meantime nothing. We can’t do anything until you have a backup plan in place. I
couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Scarlett. Not because of me. I already live with so much guilt because of what I said to Brooklyn…”

  “Brooklyn knew you didn’t hate her.”

  “Did she though?” A tear ran down Kennedy’s cheek. “Because I never got a chance to apologize.”

  “She knew, Kennedy. She knew.”

  Kennedy took a shaky breath.

  “Is everything alright?” Penny asked.

  Kennedy took a step away from me and wiped beneath her eyes. “Yes,” she said with a laugh. “Matt just made me laugh so hard I was literally crying.”

  Penny smiled. She was patting Liam on the back and he made the most adorable little burping noise.

  I would have said “aw” if I hadn’t just made fun of James for thinking it was cute.

  “Excuse you, baby boy,” Penny said and kissed the top of his head. “I’m so sorry, I’m being rude. Can I get either of you something to drink or anything?”

  “Your hands are full,” Kennedy said. “I should be offering you something to drink.”

  Penny laughed. “Thank you, but I’m okay. I’m just going to go put this one down. But before I do…” she looked back and forth between us. “I have to ask. Please tell me you two are dating.”

  I glanced at Kennedy, who looked down at the ground.

  “We’re just friends,” I said. Every time I said it, it killed me a little more.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Penny said. “I feel like I keep jumping to wild conclusions that are wrong.”

  “It’s fine, Penny,” I said.

  “So you’re not dating Kennedy,” Penny said. “Or anyone else?”

  “Nope.”

  “Definitely not me,” Kennedy said. “We’ve been friends for forever. It would just be…weird. Right?” she said and looked up at me.

  I swallowed hard. “Right.”

  “If you’ll excuse me.” Kennedy left Penny and me alone in the kitchen.

  Penny sighed. “Being your matchmaker is hard work. Say goodnight, Liam.” She turned around so I could see Liam’s cute little face.

  I booped him on the nose and he burped.

  Awww.

  “I’m exhausted so I’m going to call it an early night too. It was nice seeing Kennedy again. I’m sad that she’s not the one for you.”

  I wanted to tell her that she was right. That Kennedy was the one for me. But I held my tongue. I felt guilty for hiding another secret from her. I was pretty sure Mason had already told Bee about Brooklyn by now. And Rob had probably told Daphne. I’d asked them to let me tell Penny though. And it didn’t seem like she knew yet. I was lucky that they hadn’t spilled it at girls’ night. I’d tell Penny soon. But not right here where our friends could probably overhear.

  Before Penny left the kitchen, she turned around. “You know what? Let’s have dinner. You and me tomorrow night.”

  Well that was easy. Tomorrow would be a perfect chance to tell her everything. “Sure. That sounds great.” I already felt a little relieved. Penny was right. Secrets sucked.

  She gave me a weird grin. “Despite what James thinks, I’m pretty sure I have everything figured out.”

  Wait, what? “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I know. It’s a surprise. Besides, I owe you an apology dinner after freaking out on you about Poppy. James told me you’re doing it for Scarlett. And you know we’re both so grateful. Really, I can’t thank you enough for putting yourself into this mess. Dinner is the least I can do. See you tomorrow night.”

  “Goodnight, Penny.” I shoved my hands into my pockets as she walked out of the room. And my fingers collided with a piece of paper. I pulled out one of the notes Nigel had put in my lunch. I had no idea where the washing machine was in Tanner’s apartment and didn’t feel comfortable asking Nigel about it. I was pretty sure he’d insist on washing all my stuff himself and do something strange with my boxers or something. So I’d worn the same pants a few days this week. And it was a damn good thing I had.

  Because I was pretty sure Nigel was the answer to all my problems. He was a sneaky little man who would literally do anything for me. As Tanner had put it, serving people was Nigel’s sole purpose in life. Nigel had told me if I ever needed anything all I had to do was text him. And I needed his help to bring Poppy down.

  Chapter 41

  Friday

  I pulled out my phone, ignored the unread messages from Poppy, and shot Nigel a text. “I need your help with something.”

  His response came immediately. “Mr. Caldwell? Is that you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be right there. I just need to dry off.”

  I hoped he meant he’d been swimming again. And not that he was bathing and texting me right now. Or something somehow worse than that. “No need. I can just text you,” I wrote back.

  “I only need 15 minutes. Please, Mr. Caldwell. Let me come to you. Let me serve you properly.”

  First I had to see if he could even help. “Do you have connections to other house managers?” I wasn’t really sure of Nigel’s official title. Surely he didn’t consider himself a houseboy or whatever Tanner called him.

  “Every single one on the Upper East Side,” he replied. “And several others. And all of them know several others. I have access to anyone you desire. At a moment’s notice.”

  “Do you know Poppy Cannavaro’s house manager?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Perfect. I really hoped I wouldn’t regret this. “Great. I’m at James’ place.”

  “I know.”

  Creepy. “I’ll meet you outside in 15 then.”

  “I won’t be tardy.”

  I have no idea why, but I had a feeling he’d resisted texting, “And if I am tardy, punish me.” I shoved my phone into my pocket and headed back out into the great room. I glanced at the texts from Poppy. Two just asking me when I was coming. I shot her one back saying I’d be there in an hour.

  Kennedy was laughing when I walked out of the kitchen and I couldn’t ignore how that sound warmed my heart.

  “I never called you Tiger,” Kennedy said.

  “I swear you did,” Rob said. “Homecoming sophomore year. You were plastered and you called me Tiger and rawred at me. Legit rawred.”

  “Oh God.” Kennedy cringed. “I really don’t remember much about that night. But I do vaguely remember hearing about something like that.”

  Rob laughed. “Don’t be embarrassed. I know I’m the hottest of the four of us. I don’t blame you for having a thing for me back then.”

  Kennedy looked over at me. And she didn’t need to say it. I could see it all over her face. She didn’t think Rob was the hottest. She thought I was.

  “Sorry to cut the night short,” I said. “But I have to get going. Kennedy, can I walk you out?”

  “Yeah, sure.” She stood up. “It was really nice seeing you guys again. We definitely need to do this again sometime.”

  “Anytime,” Mason said. “I’m so glad you’re back in the city.” He hugged her goodbye, giving me a not at all subtle thumbs up behind Kennedy’s back.

  She gave hugs to everyone else too. Tanner whispered something in her ear and her face flushed.

  Seriously, what kind of stuff had he been saying to her all night?

  “Later, guys,” I said as Kennedy joined me by my side. I didn’t care that we’d just told all of them we were friends. I put my arm around her shoulders as I led her to the door. Friends did that too, right?

  “You’re really bad at this,” Kennedy said as we stopped in front of the elevator.

  “At what?”

  “The friends thing.” She lifted my arm off of her.

  “Friends touch each other too,” I said.

  She laughed. “Not the way you want to touch me.”

  I smiled. “And how do you think I want to touch you?”

  She rolled her eyes and stared at the elevator doors. “I think Tanner’s right about you.”
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  “What did Tanner say about me?”

  “Oh, a lot of things. He was wingmanning hard for you tonight. I like him. He’s an interesting guy.”

  “That he is.”

  “And the things he was saying were particularly interesting.”

  “Are you going to make me beg you to tell me what lies he was spewing?” I asked.

  “Lies? I highly doubt that he said anything untruthful.” The smile playing at the corner of her mouth was driving me insane.

  All I wanted to do was kiss it right off her face. I was having an increasingly hard time keeping my hands to myself. “What did he say?”

  The elevator doors dinged open.

  She walked in backward so she could keep her eyes trained on mine. “That you’re madly, desperately, insanely in love with me.”

  The doors started to close and I quickly hopped in, closing the distance between us. She stepped to the side, trying to move away from me. But I kept advancing until her back was pressed against the side of the elevator. I couldn’t even be mad at Tanner. Because Kennedy was looking up at me like she felt the same way I did. Her chest rising and falling faster and faster as she stared into my eyes.

  “And how did that make you feel?” I asked.

  “Terrified.”

  I swallowed hard. “Are you scared of me, Kennedy?” I reached out and touched the side of her face. “Or of what we could be?”

  “It’s just…what if Tanner’s right? What if it was always supposed to be me and you? And it just took us some time to find our way to each other?”

  I knew Tanner had a meddling hand in that. But I believed it too. She was standing here in front of me for a reason. There was a reason I couldn’t stop smiling for the first time in years. There was a reason why it had been easier to breathe since Kennedy had come back into my life. There was a reason for all of this. There had to be.

  My fingers slid to the side of her neck. “What can I do to make you feel less scared?”

  She stared at me. “I don’t know.”

  “Would it help if I told you I might have a way out of this thing with Poppy? I’m meeting up with a friend tonight.” Since when had I considered Nigel a friend? “He has connections all over the city. If anyone can help me dig up dirt on Poppy, it’s him. I’m going to keep Scarlett safe. And I’m going to get to be with you. You have my word.”